IRI Observes Fujian Province Village Elections

May 30, 2003

IRI recently became the first foreign organization to observe four consecutive rounds of elections in the same county when it monitored voting proceedings in several Chinese villages. The elections took place in the villages of Tupu and Gongqiao, in Fujian Province between May 18 and May 20. China expert and Johns Hopkins University Professor Anne F. Thurston accompanied IRI's China Program staff. The delegation was able to gather valuable comparative data about the progress of village elections over time.

After the last round of elections in Fujian, in 2000, IRI submitted a list of recommendations to provincial officials. Many of those suggestions have since been implemented, including the elimination of proxy voting, improved civic education, and strict controls over the use of mobile ballot boxes. IRI's election observation report will be published by mid-June. Following the observation, IRI conducted a training seminar on good governance and transparency for 100 newly elected village leaders.

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